THE Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo has written to the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) over the conduct of Limpopo Health MEC Phophi Ramathuba towards a Zimbabwean patient.
This comes after a video showing Ramathuba scolding a Zimbabwean patient at a hospital in Bela Bela.
During the video, Ramathuba asks the Zimbabwean patient what is he doing in Bela-Bela when they are supposed to be with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
She later lashed out at the patient for being an illegal migrant and blaming foreign nationals for “killing her health system”.
“You are even illegal, and you are abusing me, this is unfair. I can’t go to Zimbabwe and get health care, do you think they will allow me to operate? It is for their own people [citizens]. When you guys are sick I am hearing these days that you say let us cross the Limpopo river, there is a MEC there who is running a charity department. It is not.”
DA Limpopo Health Spokesperson Risham Maharaj said the MEC is using foreign nationals as a scapegoat and blaming them for the province’s ailing health system.
“We consider Ramathuba’s comments xenophobic, and inconsistent with the standard of treatment that should be afforded to a patient. There are legislative channels the MEC can explore instead of embarrassing a patient seeking medical assistance.”
“Her irresponsible utterances might even stoke xenophobic attacks from locals who believe foreign nationals are responsible for the poor healthcare services in Limpopo. The DA will file a complaint with the Limpopo Legislature Ethics Committee and the Health Professions Council of South Africa over the conduct of Ramathuba in the video.”
Meanwhile, the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) has called for the MEC to be fired over her remarks.
“Dr Phophi has certainly violated the Hippocratic Oath, which obliges all physicians/ doctors to ‘abstain from all intentional harm, wrongdoing and harm, especially abusing the bodies of man or woman, bond or free’. This is unfair abuse and discrimination,” the EFF said in a statement.
“The Afrophobic attack on a bedridden patient is cruel and malicious, and has no justifications. It is a slippery slope, because health rights are human rights, and an attempt to rationalise the denial of the provision of health care on the basis of someone’s nationality will lead to gross human rights violations.”
“We call on the removal of Ramathuba as an MEC, as she has clearly violated the integrity of the patient and undermined the Hippocratic Oath by causing intentional harm and humiliation to a patient. She is unfit to hold that office and she must be released.”
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